A Compendium of Free Wrap Around Mailing Labels

It makes me glow with pride every time someone says how much they loved my wedding mailing lables because I loved them too!  And though there are a great many etsy sellers in the world, eager to design for you a perfect, custom label, I thought it would be good to share some freebie, downloadable templates I have found which also do the trick, all while looking adorable!  When I first started planning, I searched everywhere for these, and lately it seems I am finding new good ones every day!  I love how these could be used for so many things- not just weddings!   So without further ado, my compendium (note excellent use of legal jargon) of free wrap around mailing labels... happy Friday!  Note, each image links to its source.

[caption id="attachment_1184" align="aligncenter" width="277" caption="French postcard."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1182" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Lil' prettie."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1183" align="aligncenter" width="225" caption="Martha's pink labels."][/caption]

Pen pal.

Dots!

Ming.

Antique ledger paper

[caption id="attachment_1175" align="aligncenter" width="250" caption="Cherry blossoms."][/caption]

School house.

[caption id="attachment_1181" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Damask."][/caption]

The One! Featured at Bride on a Budget

Great things are happening at The One! this week... I just learned that Ashley over at Bride on a Budget featured our post, 99 Tips to Save Money on Your Wedding!  Thanks for the shout out Ashley!  Obviously you should check out the post if you haven't yet.  :)

And when you're done, head on over to Bride on a Budget for more fun and money saving goodness.  This bride is pulling off her amazing wedding for a mere $7,000 and you'll be floored at how she's doing it.  Amazing!  Plus, every Thursday she shares her "Thrifty Thursday" tips for wedding supply sales and giveaways.  And if you're not convinced yet, hear this: she has an adorable kitten (you know how much I love kitties)!

Hooray for budget conscious blogger brides!

Image source: The Vintage Moth

Showered with Love, Ohio Edition: The Action!

So as promised, I have gathered some fun photos of my Ohio Shower and I'm so excited to share them!  It was such an amazing, fun-filled day of visiting with people I don't see nearly enough.  Filled with small, thoughtful gifts and details that were utterly touching.  I am so glad I had the chance to spend time with so many of my favorite Ohio friends and family!  I can't even begin to justice to how wonderful my day was, so I won't keep writing- I'll let the annotated photos do the talking!

[caption id="attachment_1253" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="So many good friends from Ohio were in attendance, including bridesmaids E. and M.!!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1254" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="I was particularly psyched to be able to spend some time with my cousins, whom I adore and don't see nearly enough of!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1255" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="So of course, we all took some time to take fun, goofy photos of ourselves. "][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1256" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="After everyone arrived and got some tasty eats, we got down to business. Games and presents! I got loads of good stuff- especially undies and wine. It's like they know me or something!"][/caption]



[caption id="attachment_1257" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="When the presents were done and game prizes awarded, we moved on to business of even greater importance. Cake! Mama C. decapitated the poor pony while I watched in delicious anticipation."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1258" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Poor, delicious pony! Oh yes, the head was pure chocolate cake, and yes, we ate it for breakfast the next day."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1259" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="We took the obligatory ceremonial cake cutting photos, and then dug in!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1260" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The black forest tastiness really does merit all these recaps, I swear."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1261" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Aunt J. helped me pass out cake, and as you can see, I was not the only person who loved it!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1262" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="After cake, things quieted down and some of the guests called it a night. It had been a wonderful evening! But a few friends and family stuck around for visiting. Here, bridesmaid M. anxiously waits for me to show her some photos..."][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1263" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The night ended with lots of visiting and reminiscing, and of course, a quick thank you gift for my mom the hostess! She and my sister did an amazing job!"][/caption]

[caption id="attachment_1264" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="If the shower is a sign of things to come, I think we'll live happily ever after!"][/caption]

Scaling Back The Hair Flower

While I'm on the subject this week of DIY projects that I didn't nail on the first try, I thought I would also discuss my fascinator.  You might recall from my past tutorial that I made this lovely little fascinator originally to wear at our wedding rehearsal.

[caption id="attachment_1243" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Hair Flower v. 1.0"][/caption]

And I liked it!  But I didn't luuurve it.  J. made the comment that it looked a little "costume-esque" and though I was loathe to admit it, he was probably right.  I don't mind the idea of wearing a statement piece, but it was fairly large and was kind of "wearing me" ifyouknowwhatImean.  I don't want to look back and think gee I looked like a fashion victim at my wedding rehearsal.  Plus, I purchased a new rehearsal dress, and this flower no longer went very well with the ensemble.

But I still liked the flower, so I decided to give it a makeover.  I removed the netting and the bottom two layers of petals entirely.  I used scissors to cut down the size of a few petals, and I put a much smaller piece of netting back on but in a gathered, layered manner- no longer being used as a face veil.

[caption id="attachment_1244" align="aligncenter" width="298" caption="Hair flower v. 2.0"][/caption]

Better right?  I feel better wearing it, for sure.  You may notice in the photo that I also found a lone rhinestone in my jewelry box, which found its way to the center of this flower.  I think it adds just the right little something.  Possibly this is all in my head.  I don't mind!

[caption id="attachment_1245" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Yep, much better."][/caption]

Hopefully now I can put this project to bed!

Program Makeover, A Work In Progress

Last Thursday I blogged about the most serious of wedding woes- my failed attempt at wedding programs.  My first attempt was pathetic and ugly, such a shame given that I'd scoured Paper Source for just the right components (on sale!) and relied on them working out "just right."   But I figured out how to salvage the materials I liked in a way I could live with, and created a mock up that- shockingly- I'm really pleased with!

[caption id="attachment_1239" align="aligncenter" width="415" caption="Not perfect, but look how much better they are already!"][/caption]

As you'll recall, the inside of this will be accordion-folded with all the program contents.  I also recycled some materials to come up with a basket to put them in.  The bow was on my bridal shower "wishing well" and the basket and gold leaves were part of a Christmas-themed gift, also from the shower.  It is so fun to be able to recycle some of these elements.  And look how cute the mock-up of the program looks in there!

[caption id="attachment_1240" align="aligncenter" width="224" caption="A tisket a tasket, a program-holding basket!"][/caption]

I guess the lesson learned is that when you try to DIY everything for your wedding, you'll have hits and misses, right?  I'm just glad I was able to take these lemons and, I daresay, make lemon martinis with them!

Did you have any DIY "misses" during your own planning?

Sale at Wedding Chicks!

Attention attention!  If you follow the Wedding Chicks, you're going to love this.. a monster sale on their super cute tanks and tees for your wedding- or maybe for your friend!  Oh and did I mention free shipping?  I swear they aren't paying me, I just think their stuff is adorable, and I may or may not have just scored super cute tops for myself and my sister on the big day.  Click here to see more!  (images from Wedding Chicks)

The Right Church For a Religious Mutt

The story of how we found our church was one of those "bumps in the road" that took me by surprise.  Initially, J. and I thought we wanted to be married in a Catholic church- I grew up as a sort of religious "mutt"; in a family where my mom was Catholic, my dad Presbyterian, and other family members whose beliefs ranged from Pentecostal, to United Methodist, to so called "nondenominational."  I also had friends who were of different religions, and in my Catholic school, we were taught that all religions (with the exception of certain pseudo-religions which seem to exist only to exploit their followers- you probably know which ones I'm talking about) have a value, a truth, and a place in our world, and that we all share certain common values- like tradition, caring, and community.  And, most importantly, LOVE!  So to me, it was no big deal to be a "mutt."

Having had this experience, and having spent 12 years in Catholic school, my first thought was to consider getting married in a Catholic church.  J. was raised Catholic and also liked the idea.  But as my search for a church began, we were quickly reminded that if you're Catholic, you're not allowed to live together before marriage.  So when a potential priest chewed me out over the issue (yeah, I won't go into detail but I was shocked that he did that too too) we decided maybe we should find another place.

Though I'm a mutt, I was confirmed Presbyterian, and J.'s mother grew up Presbyterian, so that was the logical next place to look.  We began calling Presbyterian churches in the target area.  But since we're getting hitched so close to Christmas, many of the potentials were holding choir practices that Saturday for Christmas eve.  And some churches flat out told me they wouldn't marry us unless we had plans to join their church.  Yikes!  In their defense, I'm sure its not very fun to have people want to get married in your church, but who don't want to actually attend your church.  I sympathize and I get it.  But J. and I are too far from the area to make any of these places a "home" church, and frankly, I'm still figuring a lot of these things out for myself.  I feel like nobody should have to "prove" a threshold level of spirituality as a prerequisite for getting married.  J. agreed and so we passed on those options.

Fortunately, I did eventually find an available church.  W.S.P. church, which has a gorgeous interior  perfect for a winter wedding ,with lots of natural sunlight and a style that is once both modern and classic.  But, more importantly, the people who will be working with us are amazing!  We met with the pastor over the weekend, which gave me an opportunity to take these photos, and I was nervous going into it (for the reasons above and then some)!  But he was so kind, fun to talk to, very smart... exactly the kind of person one can look up to, and the kind of person I wanted to marry us!  And the other folks at the church- the wedding coordinator and the minister of music, have been equally gracious.  We were able to choose readings that had personal meaning, and tailor the ceremony to fit our families and our lives.

At first, the struggle to find a ceremony location was really frustrating.  But I'm so glad we stayed the course because in the end, we found a gorgeous place that suited us perfectly and welcomed us in exactly the way you would expect a church to do!  I can't wait to get married there!